An Upgrade

A few days after the incident…

In the dark of the night, the towering Alchemax building stood as a symbol of power and innovation. Most of its floors were deserted, with employees having long since clocked out for the day. However, a single light flickered in one of the labs, where Dr. Anderson, a dedicated scientist, was engrossed in his work.

Meanwhile, inside the lab, Leo, dressed in his Dark Spider suit, stood in the midst of a conversation with Ralph, a brilliant engineer who had been assisting him with his mission. Ralph sat in his wheelchair, swiveling and sliding from one desk to another with ease.

"Yo, my man, congratulations on making quite a name for yourself," Ralph exclaimed with a mischievous grin. "So, is it Dark... what again? Crawler? Walker?"

Leo leaned on the desk, a smirk playing on his lips. "No, it's Dark Spider," he corrected Ralph. "Sounds more intimidating, don't you think?"

Ralph let out a chuckle, shaking his head. "Whoever named you through the papers after that warehouse incident didn't do a great job. It's a bit cliché, if you ask me."

Leo shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, I don't mind. As long as I can strike fear into the hearts of criminals and connect them back to the man I hunt, I'm satisfied."

Ralph nodded approvingly. "Fair enough, my friend. Just make sure you stay safe out there. We've come a long way with those web-shooters, and I don't want to see them go to waste."

Leo's gaze softened as he looked at Ralph. "Don't worry, Ralph. I'll be careful. And I couldn't have done any of this without your help."

Ralph waved off the compliment, a hint of pride in his eyes. "Nonsense, DS. It's been a pleasure working with you. Now, let's see if we can improve those web-shooters even more. I have a few ideas up my sleeve."

"DS?" Leo questioned, trying to understand the meaning behind the acronym.

Ralph chuckled and clarified, "It stands for Dark Spider, your new persona! I thought it would be cool to have a shorter name for you."

Leo chuckled. "DS, the Dark Spider. Quirky, but I will let it slide."

After a moment of tinkering while Leo idled,

Leo burst out a chuckle, reminiscing about their first encounter in the lab. "Remember when we first met? I was trying to intimidate you," he said with a smirk.

Ralph laughed, recalling the moment. "Oh, you were definitely intimidating, DS. I thought you were going to squash me like a bug!"

Leo nodded, a playful glint in his eyes. "Well, thankfully, we're past that now. Anyway, thank you for your service until now, Ralph."

Ralph grinned. "Anytime, DS."

Curiosity then sparked in Leo's eyes as he leaned in closer to Ralph. "So, tell me about these new ideas you mentioned earlier."

Ralph's face lit up with excitement. "Oh, you're going to love this! I've added different modes to your web-shooter. Burst, automatic, extended precision, explosive, etc etc…"

Leo's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What…"

Before he could finish his sentence, Ralph casually tossed the web-shooter to Leo, who instinctively caught it. "Try it out," Ralph urged.

Leo hesitated for a moment before switching the web-shooter to automatic mode. As he pressed the trigger, a rapid succession of web shots flew out, mimicking the rate of fire of an automatic firearm. Leo's eyes widened in amazement.

He quickly switched to the extended precision mode, and as he shot, the web traveled with incredible speed and precision, almost like a sniper's shot. Leo couldn't contain his excitement.

Ralph then warned him, "Be careful with the grenade mode!" Leo's curiosity got the better of him, and he switched to the grenade mode. A few small pellets dropped into his hand, and Ralph instructed him to throw them to the ground quickly.

Leo followed Ralph's instructions, and as the pellets exploded, webs spread across the room, creating a sticky and web-filled environment. Leo found himself laughing at the chaos he had unintentionally caused.

As Leo moved to try another mode, Ralph quickly shouted, "No, not the explosive mode!" But it was too late. Leo had already pressed the button, and a powerful web shot out, propelling him backward and causing him to crash to the floor. He looked around the room, now covered in a tangled mess of webs.

Leo's laughter filled the lab as he picked himself up from the floor. "Well, that was unexpected. But I have to admit, these new modes are incredible, Ralph!"

Ralph joined in the laughter. "Glad you like them, DS. Just be careful with that explosive mode next time!"

Leo nodded, still grinning. "Lesson learned. Thanks, Ralph. I can't wait to put these new features to good use."

Leo glanced at Ralph, his curiosity piqued. "So, how are your new inventions coming along?"

Ralph grinned, pushed his glasses up and turned to a table filled with files. His eyes lit up with excitement as he explained, "I've created this cool gadget that allows people to see through walls. It's not just heat vision, though. It reconstructs the objects within, creating a 3D image."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "So, you can see objects behind walls?"

Ralph nodded. "Exactly, but the images aren't vivid yet. They're more like holograms."

Leo was intrigued. "Can you demonstrate?"

Ralph grinned and placed a wooden plank on the desk. "Put something behind the plank, and I'll tell you what it is."

Leo shrugged and picked up a cactus from Ralph's desk. Before Leo could say anything, Ralph excitedly exclaimed, "It's a cactus!"

Leo was impressed and proceeded to test Ralph's invention further. He grabbed an apple, a stapler, and various other items, and Ralph accurately identified each one.

Amazed, Leo called out to Ralph. "Okay, you've proven your point. This is incredible!"

Ralph took off his goggles and beamed. "I knew you'd be impressed! How does it feel to have X-ray vision?"

Leo smirked. "Pretty good, I have to admit."

Ralph quietly yelled in excitement. "Yes!"

Leo's eyes then caught sight of a picture frame on Ralph's table. Inside were photos of a girl, a boy, Ralph, and a woman, presumably his family. Leo couldn't help but ask, "Is this your family?"

Ralph turned to him with a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Yes, it is. I miss my beautiful children and wife. I've been spending so much time in the lab that I hardly get to see them. I hope one day I can just shut down my work and be with them."

Leo admired the photos and empathized with Ralph's desire for family time. "You have a beautiful family, Ralph."

Ralph sighed. "Thank you. But for now, the team needs me, and I have too much to do."

Leo nodded, understanding the weight of responsibility. "I understand, Ralph."

As Leo returned the frame and prepared to swing away, he felt Ralph's hand on his arm. Ralph looked at him with a hopeful expression. "DS, could you do me a favor? Can you deliver this letter to my family?"

Leo's curiosity was piqued. "Why can't you do it yourself?"

Ralph sighed. "I've been too busy and haven't had a chance to go home for at least a week now. I trust you, DS. Please, deliver this letter for me."

Leo nodded and took the letter from Ralph's hand. "Consider it done, Ralph."

With a wave goodbye, Leo swung away from the lab, carrying the letter and through the New York City skyline, his web-shooters propelling him forward with incredible speed and agility. He was on his way to deliver the letter Ralph had entrusted to him when he noticed a wave of police sirens blaring through the streets below.

Distracted, curiosity and a sense of another gain compelled Leo to change his course. Without a second thought, he altered his direction and began tailing the police car, determined to see what was unfolding.